PORRIDGE FOR THE SOUL

Covering topics on religion, philosophy and life, this blog attempts to make biblical truths simple for the average believer. As porridge is soft to aid digestion, so the blog contents are easily understood.
However, there is also meaty stuff for those who aspire to go deeper. The relevance of the Bible in our daily life (areas such as finances, sex, marriage, health and emotional healing) is also dealt with.

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Saturday, 6 June 2020

One
of the key doctrines in Calvinism is Perseverance of the Saints: God, by His
sovereign grace, predestines certain people (elect) to be saved, that Jesus
died only for the elect, that God regenerates the elect to the extent he is
able to and want to choose God and that it is impossible for the elect to lose
their salvation. Everything is predetermined and predestined by a sovereign
God; man’s will has absolutely no or little part to play.

To
put it simply, Perseverance of the Saints tells us that if you are a genuine
believer, you will definitely endure till the end.

Or
to put it in contemporary style: Don’t worry be happy, be blessed. Once you
truly believe in God, you will definitely endure till the end and get to
heaven.

Now
what did Jesus teach?

“Then
they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by
all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one
another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and
deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow
cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved."

(Matthew
24:9-13)

Our
Master knows that some will endure
but many will fall away during the
end times. And because the latter is likely, He issued the warning to genuine believers (Peter, James, John
and Andrew), not false or professing believers who were not saved in the first
place (Mark 13:3).

Therefore,
if we say all true believers will definitely endure to the end, even in
difficult times, we will make Jesus look like a fool.

Only
some believers will endure till the end and be saved, according to Matthew 24:13.
Other believers who fall away will not be saved.

Next,
what did Paul teach?

Paul
taught that true believers must watch our life and doctrine, and persevere in
them, to ensure that we remain saved:

Watch
your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will
save both yourself and your hearers.

Pay
close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things,
for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those
who hear you.

(1
Timothy 4:16)

What
does Paul’s warning in 1 Timothy 4:16 mean? If believers willfully continue
living in sin, get deceived by heresy, or fail to hold fast to righteousness
and correct doctrine, their eternal security may be undermined. Also, members
of the flock taught by false teachers may also suffer the same fate. Persevering
in our life and doctrine will ensure salvation for us and our hearers.

Why
would Paul tell believers to watch our life and doctrine to ensure that we
remain saved if all believers will definitely be saved as taught in Calvinism?

If
we say that all believers will definitely be saved, whether we are faithful or
not, we will make Paul look like a fool.

Elsewhere,
Paul makes it clear that it is possible to believe in vain if we do not hold
fast to what we believe (1 Corinthians 15:1-2). He also tells us that one day
we will be presented holy and blameless before God, provided we continue to be
steadfast in our faith (Colossians 1:22-23). Thus, inheriting salvation is
conditional upon our faithfulness.

In
conclusion, though saved by grace, believers still have to exercise personal responsibility, not rest easy
that they will definitely be saved as this Perseverance of the Saints in
Calvinism seems to incorrectly assure believers—as if giving them a false sense
of security.

The
issue I have with this teaching—Perseverance of the Saints in Calvinism—is its
failure to interpret Bible passages that come into conflict with its highly
predetermined stance. In fact, there are so many passages (see below) that tell
us that salvation is CONDITIONAL.

If
the fate of believers in eternity is sealed (safe and secure in heaven) and
decided 'once and for all' the moment they believed in Christ:

Why
did Jesus warn believers (branches) to abide in Him (Vine) or they will be
lifeless, useless and be burnt (John 15:6)?

Why
did Paul warn believers that God is kind to us provided we continue in his
kindness or else we will cut off (Romans 11:22)?

Why
did Paul compare the Christian life to a race in which he had to exercise
self-discipline so that he won’t be disqualified (1 Corinthians 9:27)?https://bit.ly/2zta94e

Why
did both Paul and Jude warn that it is possible to be saved and later destroyed
(1 Corinthians 10: 1-12, Jude 5)?https://bit.ly/2Xyipb3

Why
did Peter remind us to make every effort to confirm our election so that we
will not stumble (2 Peter 1:10)?

Why
did Peter warn that a believer who gets entangled in sin (world’s defilement)
once again will face condemnation worse than if he had never believed (2 Peter
2:20-21)?

Why
did the writer of Hebrews warn that it possible to fall away from God and lose
our inheritance, like those who failed to reach the Promised Land (Hebrews
3:12-14)?

Why
it may be impossible for a believer (with five clear-cut unmistakable
characteristics of genuine faith) who turns his back on God (commit apostasy)
to repent and be restored (Hebrews 6:4-8)?https://bit.ly/3esnBnQ

Why
did the writer of Hebrews warn that believers who willfully live in sin will
incur God’s judgment as Christ’s atoning blood no longer avails for them
(Hebrews 10: 26-31)?

Why
did the writer of Hebrews exhort us to endure and not shrink back in our faith
in order to receive the promise and not be destroyed (Hebrews 10: 36-39)?

Why
did John tell us to overcome sin so that our names will not be blotted out from
the book of life (Revelation 3:3-5)?

All
the above questions cast doubts on the teaching of Perseverance of the Saints
in Calvinism, which asserts that believers’ eternal destiny has been predetermined—safe
and secure with absolutely no worries at all.

Now
I am not saying that we, by any chance, can endure by our own strength. Rather,
we have to choose (human will in operation) to follow God and ask Him for the
grace and strength to obey Him.

To restate it, believers are called to crucify the flesh, not by our own strength but by God’s grace
(2 Timothy 2:1) and by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:13). https://bit.ly/3dhXsYs

So believers, which would you choose to believe for the sake of your eternal destiny?

Don’t worry be happy, be
blessed. Once you truly believe in God, you will definitely endure till the end
and get to heaven. That’s Calvinism in contemporary language for you.

But notice the striking
contrast in the Bible—the solemn and grave warning of Jesusand Paul: Don’t be
complacent, you are not there yet. Unless you endure till the end, you will not
be saved.

POSTSCRIPT

What
is the first thing Jesus warned about when He was asked by the disciples
concerning the end times in the Olivet Discourse? Answer: Deception. “For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the
Christ,’ and will deceive many” (Matthew 24:5). Without further ado, you know
the point I am driving at. Many accept a well-established man-made theological
construct as the truth, just because many famous and authoritative leaders believe
and sanction it. And how many times did Jesus warn about deception in Matthew
24? Answer: Four times. This shows
the importance of discernment—not simply accepting something held to be true by
so many for so long.

It
is the contention of the above article to show that there is NO guarantee that a
genuine believer will finish well in
his faith journey and claim his inheritance in heaven when there are countless push
and pull factors (Parable of the Sower) that draw him away from God: the world,
flesh and the devil working hand in hand; temptation, deception, persecution,
lawlessness; advent of the Antichrist, challenge of the Mark of the Beast and
so on.

And
it is most unlikely that a “feel good” theological construct, such as Calvinism’s
Perseverance of the Saints—which runs counter to Jesus’ and Paul’s teachings—will
adequately prepare genuine believers to face the challenges of these perilous
and tumultuous end times.

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STARTING WELL, ENDING
WELL

If
we start well in our journey of faith, does it mean we will definitely end
well? Four accounts in the New Testament tell us why believers may not reach
the intended final destination if they do not fulfill certain conditions.

The
believers’ spiritual status is not static. Though we have been enlightened by
the truth and transformed by the Holy Spirit, there is no iron-clad guarantee
we won’t change. That’s because we are sinful by nature. And, because we have a
will, we can choose to remain in God’s favour or reject Him.